Performance of endoscopic submucosal dissection for undifferentiated early gastric cancer: a multicenter retrospective cohort

Background and study aims Undifferentiated early gastric cancer (UD-EGC) represents an extended indication for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) based on the existing guidelines. This study evaluated the prevalence of UD-EGC recurrence after ESD, and potentially implicated risk factors. Patients and methods Data from 17 centers were collected retrospectively including demographics, endoscopic and pathological findings, and follow-up data from UD-EGC cases treated by ESD. Patients with incomplete resection or advanced disease were excluded. Descriptive statistics quantified variables and calculated the incidence of recurrence. Chi-square test was applied to assess any link between independent variables and relapse; significantly associated variables were inserted to a multivariable regression model. Results Seventy-one patients were eligible, with 2:1 female to male ratio and age of 65.8 ± 11.8 years. Mean lesion size was 33.5 ± 18.8 mm and the most frequent histological subtype was signet ring-cells UGC (2:1). Patients were followed-up every 5.6 ± 3.7 months with a mean surveillance period of 29.3 ± 15.3 months until data collection. Four patients (5.6%) developed local recurrence 8.8 ± 6.5 months post-ESD, with no lymph node or distal metastases been reported. Lesion size was not associated with recurrence ( P = 0.32), in contrast to lymphovascular and perineural invasion which were independently associated with local recurrence ( P = 0.006 and P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions ESD could be considered as the initial step to manage UD-EGC, providing at least an "entire-lesion" biopsy to guide therapeutic strategy. When histology confirms absence of lymphovascular and perineural invasion, this modality could be therapeutic, providing low recurrence rates.

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome: First case report from Egypt and North Africa

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal (GI) polyposis is a rare condition in GI diseases. To date about 500 cases of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) have been reported worldwide.

CASE SUMMARY

We report a 60-year-old female patient who presented with dyspepsia, abdominal pain, and weight loss of 1-year duration. Her physical examination showed alopecia and onychodystrophy. Upper endoscopy revealed diffuse markedly thickened gastric mucosa involving the whole stomach with thickened gastric rugae and numerous polypoidal lesions. Histopathological examination showed marked hyperplasia of the foveolar glands with inflammatory cell infiltration. Endoscopic ultrasound showed a significantly hypertrophic mucosa and muscularis mucosa, while the submucosa and the muscularis propria were spared, favouring its benign nature. Colonoscopy showed multiple sessile polyps scattered at different parts of the colon. Histopathological examination revealed tubular adenomatous polyps with low-grade dysplasia. Differential diagnoses included CCS, Menterier disease (MD), other polyposis syndromes, lymphoma, amyloidosis, and gastric malignancies. The presence of alopecia, nail dystrophy, GI polyposis, markedly thickened gastric mucosa and folds, abdominal pain, weight loss, and marked foveolar gland hyperplasia; all was in favour of CCS. Lymphoma was excluded due to sparing of the muscularis propria. The presence of colonic polyps and antral and duodenal infiltration, and the absence of hypoproteinaemia decreased the possibility for MD.

CONCLUSION

The patient was diagnosed as having CCS.

Role of endoscopic ultrasound and cyst fluid tumor markers in diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesions

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are common in clinical practice. The accurate classification and diagnosis of these lesions are crucial to avoid unnecessary treatment of benign lesions and missed opportunities for early treatment of potentially malignant lesions.

AIM

To evaluate the role of cyst fluid analysis of different tumor markers such as cancer antigens [e.g., cancer antigen (CA)19-9, CA72-4], carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), serine protease inhibitor Kazal-type 1 (SPINK1), interleukin 1 beta (IL1-β), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)], amylase, and mucin stain in diagnosing pancreatic cysts and differentiating malignant from benign lesions.

METHODS

This study included 76 patients diagnosed with PCLs using different imaging modalities. All patients underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and EUS-fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for characterization and sampling of different PCLs.

RESULTS

The mean age of studied patients was 47.4 ± 11.4 years, with a slight female predominance (59.2%). Mucin stain showed high statistical significance in predicting malignancy with a sensitivity of 87.1% and specificity of 95.56%. It also showed a positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 93.1% and 91.49%, respectively (P < 0.001). We found that positive mucin stain, cyst fluid glucose, SPINK1, amylase, and CEA levels had high statistical significance (P < 0.0001). In contrast, IL-1β, CA 72-4, VEGF-A, VEGFR2, and PGE2 did not show any statistical significance. Univariate regression analysis for prediction of malignancy in PCLs showed a statistically significant positive correlation with mural nodules, lymph nodes, cyst diameter, mucin stain, and cyst fluid CEA. Meanwhile, logistic multivariable regression analysis proved that mural nodules, mucin stain, and SPINK1 were independent predictors of malignancy in cystic pancreatic lesions.

CONCLUSION

EUS examination of cyst morphology with cytopathological analysis and cyst fluid analysis could improve the differentiation between malignant and benign pancreatic cysts. Also, CEA, glucose, and SPINK1 could be used as promising markers to predict malignant pancreatic cysts.

Acute gastrointestinal bleeding in Egyptian elderly patients: real-life experience

Background

Elderly people are a vulnerable group of patients subjected to multiple health problems. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in older adults is a frequent cause of hospital admissions. The presence of multiple comorbidities and greater medication use influence the clinical outcome.

Aim

The aim of our work was to analyze the etiology, precipitating factors, management, and outcome of the elderly Egyptian patients (> 65 years old) presenting with acute UGIB.

Methods

Three hundred thirty-two patients presenting with acute UGIB. The patients were classified into two groups according to age (elderly, above 65 years old, and young, below 65 years old). Clinical assessment, laboratory tests, and upper endoscopy were done for all patients. They were followed for 1 month.

Results

Elderly females showed higher incidence of acute UGIB (45.8% versus 28.9%) with significant P-value (0.001). The incidence of esophageal varices was high in young patients than in the elderly (46.4% vs 35.5%) with P-value (0.045), while the elderly patients showed a higher incidence of esophageal ulcers and gastric mass than the young patients (7.8% vs 2.4%), (6% vs 0%) with P-value (0.025 and 0.013) respectively. Also, there was a higher incidence of peptic ulcer in elderly than young patients but does not reach a significant value with P-value (0.067), while there was no difference between both groups as regards presence of (fundal varix, erosive gastritis, moniliasis, portal hypertensive gastropathy, antral gastritis, bulb duodenitis, post band ulcer, dieulafoy, gastric polyp, and angiodysplasia). Rockall score, duration of hospital stay, and mortality incidence (33.1% vs 15.7%) were high in the elderly than young patients with P-value (< 0.001).

Conclusion

The elderly are vulnerable groups who are at high risk of adverse outcome and mortality following acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for the treatment of achalasia: A multicenter Middle Eastern experience

BACKGROUND

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) was proposed in 2010 as a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of achalasia. In this article, we describe the Middle Eastern experience with the procedure in terms of efficacy, length of admission, and short- and long-term complications.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of our prospectively collected data on patients who underwent a POEM procedure was conducted between March 2019 and May 2020. The primary outcome was clinical success rate, defined as a postprocedure Eckardt score ≤3 at ≥3 months. Secondary outcomes included the length of hospital stay, presence of reflux symptoms or need for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) ≥3 months, and adverse events.

RESULTS

During the study period, 67 patients (35 females) underwent the procedure for achalasia. The participants' ages ranged from 11 to 80 years (mean 41 ± 18 years). Eckardt scores before the treatment ranged between 4 and 12 (mean 8.85 ± 1.75). Sixty-four patients (95.5%) achieved Eckardt scores of ≤3 at ≥3 months after the procedure (95% confidence interval [CI]: 91%-100%). The difference between pre- and post-procedural Eckardt scores averaged around -8 points (95% CI: -7.5 to -8.5 P < 0.0001). Adverse events were reported in 24 patients (35.8%) and included pneumoperitoneum (32.8%), reflux symptoms at 3 months (29.9%), and surgical emphysema (3%). Six patients had adverse events that led to prolongation of admission; 3% of whom had aspiration pneumonia, 3% had pneumoperitoneum, 1.5% had both, and 1.5% had an esophageal tear.

CONCLUSIONS

POEM is a promising procedure for the treatment of achalasia with a high clinical success rate, short hospital admission, and a reassuring safety profile.

Role of renal Duplex ultrasonography in evaluation of hepatorenal syndrome

Background

Hepatorenal syndrome is a potentially fatal complication of advanced liver disease. Markers for early diagnosis and identification of high-risk patients are lacking. Our aim was to evaluate the role of renal Duplex ultrasonography in the diagnosis and early prediction of hepatorenal syndrome. This study included 50 patients. Clinical assessment, liver function tests, hepatitis C virus antibody, kidney function tests, and abdominal and renal color Duplex ultrasound were done to all subjects.

Results

Univariate regression analysis for hepatorenal syndrome showed a statistically significant positive correlation with the Model For End-Stage Liver Disease score (p-value <0.0001) and renal artery hilum resistivity index (p-value = 0.0017). Logistic multivariable regression analysis proved that the renal artery hilum resistivity index was an independent predictor of hepatorenal syndrome. Renal artery hilum resistivity index can be used as a predictor of hepatorenal syndrome with 100% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity with a cut-off value > 0.77.

Conclusion

The renal resistive index could be a good predictor of hepatorenal syndrome.

Acceleration of Gastric Emptying and Improvement of GERD Outcome After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Non-diabetic Obese Patients

PURPOSE

Obesity has become a pandemic nowadays. Bariatric surgery is increasingly performed to manage obesity. Currently, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a widely accepted procedure given its feasibility and efficacy. Previous studies revealed conflicting results regarding the change of gastric emptying following sleeve gastrectomy. The primary aim of the present study is to assess gastric motor function by gastric emptying scintigraphy in a cohort of non-diabetic patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) for treatment of severe obesity.

METHODS

This prospective observational study included 100 obese, non-diabetic patients attending the surgery clinic at Cairo University Hospitals and Al Azhar University Hospitals. LSG was performed following a standardized protocol, with no complications observed. All patients had gastric emptying scintigraphy done through a standard semisolid meal (250 kcal), marked with 0.5 mCiTc 99, pre-operatively and 3 months after LSG.

RESULTS

The mean age was 38.71 years (9.2) and males comprised 57% of the cohort. The body mass index, low-density lipoproteins, and glycated hemoglobin declined significantly at 3-month postsurgery. The scintigraphy study revealed a significantly reduced percent retention at equivalent time points 3 months after LSG. In addition, the percent of patients suffering from GERD decreased significantly after LSG.

CONCLUSION

Gastric emptying becomes faster after LSG in morbidly obese non-diabetic patients. GERD symptoms improve after surgery.

Changes of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness After Sleeve Gastrectomy in High Cardiovascular Risk Patients: a Prospective Study

PURPOSE

There are insufficient data showing the impact of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Therefore, in the current work, we investigated the improvement of metabolic syndrome and CIMT in patients with obesity after LSG.

METHODS

This study involved 120 consecutively selected Egyptian patients with a high cardiovascular risk who underwent LSG and were followed up for 12 months.

RESULTS

CIMT declined from 0.95 ± 0.17 mm to 0.83 ± 0.12 (p < 0.001) after 12 months. In addition, the mean fasting blood glucose and fasting inulin level dropped significantly from 153.3 ± 63.6 to 108.8 ± 33.8 mg/dl and from 23.1 ± 7.1 mU/ml to 14.1 ± 6.4 respectively (p < 0.001). Furthermore, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) declined from 7.02 ± 1.7 to 5.5 ± 0.96 (p < 0.001). At the end of the follow-up period, metabolic parameters such as HOMA-IR, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, AST, and ALT decreased significantly from their respective baselines (p value < 0.001). Moreover, the reduction in CIMT showed a strong positive correlation with the degree of weight loss at 6 months and 12 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

LSG led to a substantial decrease in CIMT. Moreover, it significantly impacted cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, lipid profile, and inflammatory markers.

Endoscopic intervention in a case proven latterly to be a COVID-19

Background

COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the newly developed worldwide outbreak of coronavirus disease with a high rate of mortality especially among elderly and multiple co-morbid personnel. Asymptomatic COVID-19-infected patients are a well-known source of transmission of infection. The risk of exposure to respiratory secretions and/or feces is hardly avoidable during the endoscopic procedure; also, the aerosol and droplets take up to an hour disperse, so they remain a risk to staff and other patients after they leave the room; therefore, strict infectious precautions should be taken by all health care workers to limit the virus spread.

Main body

We present an endoscopic trial of duodenal stent insertion in non-operable gastric carcinoma that is proven 2 days later to be a COVID-19-positive case. Fortunately, no one of the health care workers that came in contact with the case becomes infected owing to the proper infection control measures.

Conclusion

We recommended that the endoscopy examination and procedures should be strictly limited to urgent cases to minimize the risk of virus infection among health care workers.

Development and Validation of a New LC-MS/MS Analytical Method for Direct-Acting Antivirals and Its Application in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The effectiveness of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) is not well established in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Assessment of the plasma concentrations may support understanding of their therapeutic outcomes in this population. The aim of this study is to develop a direct, yet matrix-effect tolerant, analytical method for determining DAAs in the plasma of ESRD patients while maintaining a moderate cost per sample and with an improved analyte extraction recovery.

METHODS

In this study, a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of ombitasvir (OMB), paritaprevir (PRT) and ritonavir (RIT) in plasma. Sample preparation was performed using the liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method. Isocratic separation was performed using a mixture of methanol and 10 mM ammonium acetate (79:21, v/v) followed by MS/MS detection. The method was validated and applied to determine DAAs in the plasma of ESRD patients (n = 7).

RESULTS

The developed method was linear (r²> 0.995), accurate (89.4 ± 7.8 to 108.3 ± 3.0) and precise (% CV 0.9-15.0) and showed improved recovery (> 80) over previously published ones in the range 5-250, 30-1,500, 20-1,000 ng/mL for OMB, PRT and RIT, respectively. Relative matrix effect was absent, and the method accurately determined the three DAAs in real-life samples (n = 7).

CONCLUSIONS

An efficient analytical method for the determination of DAAs is presented. The method overcomes the potential analytical response fluctuation in ESRD. The developed method show improved extraction recoveries and is suitable for routine application in developing economies where hepatitis C virus is most prevalent.

Risk index for early infections following living donor liver transplantation

INTRODUCTION

Post-operative infections in patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aims to develop a practical and efficient prognostic index for early identification and possible prediction of post-transplant infections using risk factors identified by multivariate analysis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred patients with post-hepatitic cirrhosis, HCV positive, genotype 4, Child B/C or MELD score 13-25 undergoing LDLT were included. All potential predictors of infection were analyzed by backward logistic regression. Cut-off values were obtained from ROC curve analysis. Significant predictors were combined into a risk index, which was further tested and compared by ROC curve analysis.

RESULTS

Post-operative infection was associated with a significantly higher mortality (50.7% vs. 33.3%). Total leucocyte count, total bilirubin, early biliary complications, fever and C-reactive protein were found to be independent predictors of early infectious complications after LDLT. The risk index predicted infection with the highest sensitivity and specificity as compared with each predictor on its own (AUC = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.830-0.955, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of a combined risk index for early diagnosis of post-operative infections can efficiently identify high risk patients.

Perceived sources of stress amongst dental students: A multicountry study

AIMS

The aim of this study was to explore the perceived sources of stress reported by dental students from fourteen different countries.

METHODS

A total of 3568 dental students were recruited from 14 different dental schools. The dental environmental stress (DES) questionnaire was used including 7 domains. Responses to the DES were scored in 4-point Likert scale. Comparison between students was performed according to the study variables. The top 5 stress-provoking questions were identified amongst dental schools. Data were analysed using SPSS software program. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used as appropriate. Logistic regression analysis was also conducted to determine the effect of the studied variables on the stress domains. The level of statistical significance was set at <.05.

RESULTS

Internal consistency of the scale was excellent (0.927). Female students formed the majority of the total student population. The percentage of married students was 4.8%. Numbers of students in pre-clinical and clinical stages were close together. The most stress-provoking domain was "workload" with a score of 2.05 ± 0.56. Female students scored higher stress than male students did in most of the domains. Significant differences were found between participating countries in all stress-provoking domains. Dental students from Egypt scored the highest level of stress whilst dental students from Jordan scored the lowest level of stress.

CONCLUSION

The self-reported stress in the dental environment is still high and the stressors seem to be comparable amongst the participating countries. Effective management programmes are needed to minimise dental environment stress.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) elastography and strain ratio, could it help in differentiating malignant from benign pancreatic lesions?

Evaluating the role of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) elastography and strain ratio in differentiation between malignant and benign pancreatic lesions.Three hundred twenty-five patients with solid pancreatic lesions were enrolled in this prospective study from 2014 to 2017. EUS real-time elastography scoring and strain ratio were done to all patients and compared to the final diagnosis to assess its sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) in differentiating malignant from benign lesions.A cut-off value of 4.2 we had sensitivity of 95%, specificity of 63%, PPV of 89%, NPV of 81%, and accuracy of 87%. Another cut-off value of 10.9 showed a sensitivity of 75%, specificity of 88%, PPV of 95%, NPV of 54%, and accuracy of 79%. Adding the elastography to the better cut-off value gave a sensitivity of 97%, specificity of 63%, PPV of 89%, NPV of 88%, and accuracy of 89%.Real-time elastography and strain ration are valuable in differentiating malignant from pancreatic lesions.

Predictors of Mortality in Living Donor Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Egypt has the highest prevalence of the world hepatitis C virus (HCV) load. Hence, the problem of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) is considered a huge burden on the community. Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is the only source of donation in Egypt till now. Survival rates had shown significant improvement in the past decades. This study provides analysis of the mortality rates and possible predictors of mortality following LDLT. It also aids in developing a practical and easy-to-apply risk index for prediction of early mortality.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study is a retrospective study that was designed to analyze data from 128 adult patients with ESLD who underwent LDLT in the Liver Transplantation Unit at Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. Early and late mortality were identified. All potential risk factors were tested using univariate regression for association with early and late mortality. Significant variables were then entered into a multivariable logistic regression model for identifying the predictors for mortality.

RESULTS

Sepsis was the most common cause of early mortality. Early mortality and 1-year mortality were 29 (23%) and 23 (18%), respectively. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, intraoperative packed red blood corpuscles (RBCs), and duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay were found to be independently associated with early mortality.

CONCLUSION

A MELD score >20, intraoperative transfusion >8 units of packed RBCs, and ICU stay >9 days are three independent predictors of early mortality. Their incorporation into a combined Risk Index can be used to improve outcomes of LDLT.

Real time endoscopic ultrasound elastography and strain ratio in the diagnosis of solid pancreatic lesions

AIM

To evaluate the accuracy of the elastography score combined to the strain ratio in the diagnosis of solid pancreatic lesions (SPL).

METHODS

A total of 172 patients with SPL identified by endoscopic ultrasound were enrolled in the study to evaluate the efficacy of elastography and strain ratio in differentiating malignant from benign lesions. The semi quantitative score of elastography was represented by the strain ratio method. Two areas were selected, area (A) representing the region of interest and area (B) representing the normal area. Area (B) was then divided by area (A). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy were calculated by comparing diagnoses made by elastography, strain ratio and final diagnoses.

RESULTS

SPL were shown to be benign in 49 patients and malignant in 123 patients. Elastography alone had a sensitivity of 99%, a specificity of 63%, and an accuracy of 88%, a PPV of 87% and an NPV of 96%. The best cut-off level of strain ratio to obtain the maximal area under the curve was 7.8 with a sensitivity of 92%, specificity of 77%, PPV of 91%, NPV of 80% and an accuracy of 88%. Another estimated cut off strain ratio level of 3.8 had a higher sensitivity of 99% and NPV of 96%, but with less specificity, PPV and accuracy 53%, 84% and 86%, respectively. Adding both elastography to strain ratio resulted in a sensitivity of 98%, specificity of 77%, PPV of 91%, NPV of 95% and accuracy of 92% for the diagnosis of SPL.

CONCLUSION

Combining elastography to strain ratio increases the accuracy of the differentiation of benign from malignant SPL.

Nodular Lymphoid Hyperplasia of the Gastrointestinal Tract : a comprehensive review

Nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH) is a rare benign condition that is characterized by diffuse hyperplasia of the lymphoid follicles of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). During endoscopy, NLH appears as multiple or occasionally innumerable nodules measuring a few millimeters in diameter. NLH occurs mainly in the small intestine, less commonly in the large intestine and rarely involves the stomach. There are multiple associated diseases such as immunoglobulin deficiency syndromes, giardiasis, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, HIV and celiac disease. NLH elicits a wide range of symptoms that can range from asymptomatic to chronic diarrhea, weight loss, bleeding from the rectum and, very infrequently, intestinal obstruction. The clinical significance of NLH relies not only on the associated conditions but also on the possible complications. The most important of which are malignant transformation, particularly to gastric carcinoma, and intestinal or extra-intestinal lymphoma. There is no consensus regarding the management and surveillance of NLH. However, surveillance is recommended by most authors, but the intervals and duration have not yet been identified.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and cytology for differentiating benign from malignant lymph nodes

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Intra-abdominal and mediastinal lymphadenopathy are often difficult to diagnose, particularly in the absence of a primary lesion. Endosonography (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration and cytology (FNAC) has provided an easy and safe access to these lymph nodes, sparing the use of invasive and costly interventions. The main aim of this study is to assess the specificity, sensitivity, and predictive value of EUS-guided FNAC in the diagnosis of benign and malignant lymph nodes. In addition, the study aims to determine significant EUS features that could help in predicting lymph node malignancy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This prospective study included 142 patients with intra-abdominal or intrathoracic lymphadenopathy who were referred for EUS-guided FNAC because of inaccessibility by other imaging modalities. Ninety (63.3%) patients were found to have malignant lymph nodes, and 52 (36.6%) had lymphadenopathy of benign nature.

RESULTS

EUS-guided FNAC had a sensitivity and specificity of 92% and 100% respectively. It had positive and negative predictive values of 100% and 88% for malignancy, respectively. By logistic regression analysis, EUS features and shortest diameter were found to be potential predictors of malignancy with p-value of <0.0001.

CONCLUSION

EUS-guided FNAC is a powerful modality in the diagnosis of benign and malignant lymph nodes. Additional complementary EUS features could be added to this technique for definitive diagnosis.